Trials and Tribulations (documentary)
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Trials and Tribulations was a documentary released as a special feature on the DVD release of The Ultimate Foe. It covered the behind-the-scenes issues during tenure of the Sixth Doctor, from Colin Baker's casting to his departure.
Topics covered
- The events leading to Colin Baker's casting as the Sixth Doctor
- The costume design for the Sixth Doctor
- The Sixth Doctor's erratic behaviour and Peri's attitudes towards it
- Commissioning writers to write for the Sixth Doctor era and John Nathan-Turner's reluctance to preciously-used Doctor Who writers. This included the recruitment of Philip Martin
- The launch and transmission of Season 22, including a positive attitude between cast and crew
- The controversial announcement of the 18-month hiatus
- The protest/charity single Doctor in Distress
- John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward's regrets to not leave Doctor Who following the 18-month hiatus
- The radio adventure Slipback
- Relaunching Doctor Who as 14 episodes, 25 minutes each. This included pre-production, promotion and untransmitted footage from The Trial of a Time Lord
- The departure of Peri Brown
- The casting of Bonnie Langford as new companion Melanie Bush, which included unfavourable views of her casting
- The unfavourable views of The Trial of a Time Lord, including a negative view from future Doctor Who writer and producer Chris Chibnall
- The death of Robert Holmes, which led to the fallout between Eric Saward and John Nathan-Turner over the conclusion of The Trial of a Time Lord and the fourteenth episode's rushed rewrite
- Eric Saward's controversial interview with Stardust, which led to him falling out with Colin Baker and John Nathan-Turner
- John Nathan-Turner being forced to axe Colin Baker as the Doctor and Colin's pledge to then-BBC bosses to extend his contract in order to give him time to record a regeneration story, which ultimately never happened.
- The regrets of the Sixth Doctor's choice of clothing.
- Defending Colin Baker over the outcome of Doctor Who's troubled era.
People interviewed
- Colin Baker
- Nicola Bryant
- John Nathan-Turner (archive interview from the 1994 documentary The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond)
- Eric Saward
- Philip Martin
- Pip & Jane Baker
- David Reid
- Jonathan Powell
- Ian Levine
- Gary Leigh
Home video releases
- The documentary was released on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Ultimate Foe.